The Vintage Crushers came into Messner Gym Friday night with a good record. The Napa Indians came onto their home court undefeated. I came in psyched for my first high school girls basketball game.

The gym was buzzing with energy. The crowd included plenty of students and friends of the players, athletic boosters, school administrators and coaches from other sports and their families. Everybody slapped hands or said hi to someone as they walked by, or shared a long-distance greeting with a contact elsewhere in the wooden, fold-out stands.

Some old guys perched on the top row, backs against the gym wall and above the spectator hubbub. Younger fans clustered near center court, close enough to spill onto the floor after a big play or a bad call, and close enough to coax a smile from cheerleaders who rushed out for flashy routines set to music rendered a muddy mess by the lousy acoustics.

The "k" bar (the "snac" was missing) at one end of the gym saw steady action.

The junior varsity teams engaged in an exciting, fast-paced battle. Lots of grit, with far better conditioning and sportsmanship than in the old man game I've played in occasionally at the First Presbyterian gym. Vintage got the win.

Then the varsity girls swooped onto the court in a long arc for their warm-up routines.

Napa came into the game 22-0. Clearly, they're special, well-coached and full of confidence, and they were facing their natural rival. Had to be good.

But when the buzzer sounded, that team was nowhere in sight. The Crushers hustled to an early lead and kept Napa off the scoreboard for several minutes. I hit the k bar and returned to see Vintage leading 11-5 deep into the first quarter.

Upset under way? Seemed possible. But as inevitably as a slow-motion replay, the momentum shifted. Napa made some defensive stops. Bonnie Freeland nailed a big three-pointer and the Indians were only down one. At half-time, the teams disappeared into the locker room tied 20-20.

In the second half, Napa's Nicoletta Geyer just took control of the game. Seemingly every time down court, she shook her defender, weaved through the mass of bodies near the basket and freed herself for a clear shot. Plus the foul! Three points.

Napa sped away and things ended up looking lopsided, 57-40.

I must say I am relieved to be the wrong gender and 25 years too old to ever have to try to guard Vintage's Marisa Hatcher. Facing a moving wall of Napa defenders as she brought the ball up court, she simply blew past them time and again. It is the simplest challenge in sports: You can't catch me.

Napa's Katie Keilig is a stud, calmly ripping down rebounds, blocking shots, rumbling in for the lay-up even as faster defenders close the gap. The Crushers' Katie Montez showed lots of poise, calmly draining an outside shot late in the game to keep a flicker of hope alive as the clock wound down.

Great hoops. Lots of fun. Decent k bar. Can't believe I haven't done it before.